Don’t be a mobile privacy creep. Eight top tips for marketers
1. Take consumer mobile privacy concerns seriously
Security and safety are key concerns for consumers, especially around mobile commerce. Last year’s Webcredible study found that users worry about having their personal details being intercepted or stolen,.
Research this year revealed that 43% of users do not trust companies with their personal information and 91% said that they avoided doing business with companies they don’t believe protect their privacy.
That’s a big chunk of potential business to lose through being careless with consumer privacy.
2. Understand the issues
A recent ‘Opinion‘ from the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, the umbrella group for national privacy authorities in the EU, highlighted an “alarming disregard” among app developers toward data protection risks, especially around lack of transparency and lack of informed consent.
Start with that document to understand what you need to know to take better care of users’ personal information.
3. Build privacy into the plan from the start
Don’t wait to be hit by a privacy problem and the need for a retrospective fix, with all the loss of consumer confidence and trust that entails.
More than 1,600 new apps are added to app stores daily and the average smartphone user will download 37 apps. If yours is successful then don’t risk your investment by failing to consider privacy from the start.
4. Create a data checklist
At an early stage review exactly what personal data you’re planning to collect in your app and avoid or limit collecting personally identifiable data that’s not required for your app’s functionality.
It’s an easy way to avoid giving your users nasty surprises through unexpected privacy practices.
5. Keep it simple
Only 6% of the top 100 UK websites surveyed last year had a mobile optimised privacy policy while, in June 2012, just 61% of the top 150 apps had a privacy policy at all.
Once you’ve decided on your privacy plan, make it easy for consumers to understand and agree to it, and enable them to make meaningful choices. Make it clear if you’re accessing location-specific data and if you’ll share that information with third parties.
Think about using a short form privacy notice – much easier to read on a mobile device – with a link to the full privacy policy.
6. Be a smart cookie
Don’t assume the EU Cookie Directive only applies on desktop websites, it doesn’t.
7. Offer opt-outs
Let your users opt-out of targeted mobile advertising if they want to and avoid delivering ads outside the context of the app.
8. Consider independent mobile privacy certification
With nearly half of consumers checking for independent privacy certification or seals, being able to show that you’ve undergone rigorous vetting by an independent third party can be a simple way of demonstrating that you take mobile privacy issues seriously.
